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April 18, 2008

Demanding Accountability To Protect Future Generations

Parents, I have a question for you. What do you suppose would happen if you attempted to raise a child without any sort of accountability - no discipline, no enforcement of rules, no consequences of any kind? Is it safe to say that your child would likely get into some trouble and end up poorly adjusted? Wouldn't you expect that the total absence of accountability would lead to chaos? And in this case, wouldn't it be difficult not to blame the parent for the child's behavior?Dear readers, I submit to you that you and I are more responsible than we'd like to admit for the chronic incompetence and criminal behavior of George W. Bush, America's child-in-chief. For refusing to demand impeachment and allowing our elected representatives to look the other way on Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, torture, and a seemingly endless list of atrocities, we have been lousy parents.

It is small consolation that Bush's approval ratings have reached new lows. When I advocate impeachment, I am thinking as much about the future as I am the present. We've allowed Bush to do far worse than Nixon could have imagined, and this has set a terrifying precedent for future administrations. With Watergate, we communicated loud and clear that Nixon's behavior was unacceptable and that he should be held accountable for it. By holding him accountable, we insured that Presidents would not become kings but would have reasonable checks on their power. W has changed all that, and now our inaction and apathy borders on criminal complicity.

I call on anyone who still gives a damn to vote for whichever candidate wins the Democratic nomination. I do so not only because I see McCain as little more than a third Bush term but also because this is the only chance we have at making sure that the key players in the Bush administration are tried for war crimes. For the welfare of future generations, we must make an example of this administration. We must sent a clear signal that this will not be allowed to happen again. Not on our watch.